ICE agent fires gun after being hit by vehicle in Ocean County, New Jersey: Police
MANAHAWKIN, N.J. (WPVI) -- A federal immigration agent was struck by a vehicle Monday in Ocean County, New Jersey, and fired his gun while attempting to apprehend someone, police said.
The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. on Route 72 near Mermaid Drive in the Manahawkin community of Stafford Township.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement identified the man they were attempting to take into custody as Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno, an immigrant from Peru who they say is in the country illegally.
According to ICE, Castillo-Ormeno was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in January.
An ICE spokesperson said agents were attempting to make a vehicle stop when the driver struck one of the agents with a vehicle.
The agent then fired his weapon as the vehicle fled. The injured agent was taken to a hospital.
The person or people inside the fleeing vehicle had not been located, and it was unknown whether anyone was struck by the gunfire.
Photos taken by a bystander in the area showed the agent on the ground, leaning against a gray vehicle, and later on a stretcher.
Two vehicles were towed from the scene several hours after the shooting, including a gray Hyundai and a white Jeep with rear damage.
Businesses near the intersection described a sudden, large police response. Lisa Bradley of the Stafford Diner said customers rushed inside after the gunfire.
"All different kinds of police that you could imagine and never seen in our lives. They're parking in our parking lot, and we're like, 'What's going on here?" Bradley said.
The diner's surveillance cameras captured part of the incident, and the footage was turned over to investigators, she said.
"You do see the van. You do see someone get hit and that was it basically," Bradley said.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed the agency is investigating but did not release additional details.
Authorities have not released the name of the injured ICE agent. Castillo-Ormeno had not been taken into custody as of Monday evening.
